Bad day at work? Leave it there
Is it time to rethink your after-work routine?
If you get home stressed from traffic, annoyed by the boss and generally cranky and worn out, it's time to spend some time in a transporter buffer.
That is the space between here and there that is crucial for a happy transition.
Psychologists call it "boundary work," the process of leaving the stresses of the day behind, thinking happily about your next stop and distracting yourself until you get there.
"Do something that makes you happy," says Cali Williams Yost, a consultant on flexible workplaces and author of Tweak It. It could be stopping for an expresso, hitting the gym, or doing an errand you want to do. One doctor admits that he listens to celebrity gossip on his phone during the drive home.
Since it is hard to decompress after work, why hurry home in traffic? One advisor recommends taking a train and relaxing to music or reading social media instead of fighting traffic and trying to save 5 minutes more on your way home.
These simple entertainments replace the natural tendency to focus on stressful experiences. Distraction equals distance.
Yost says it helps to think about the transition from work to home in three stages: leaving the workplace, getting home, and walking through the door. Figure out what triggers negative thoughts and feelings at each stage. Either eliminate the triggers or develop new routines and rituals to get around them.
A feeling of confidence at the end of the workday can ward off a bad mood, research shows. One worker builds a 30-minute buffer before leaving with no calls or conversations.